How to Integrate CI/CD with GitOps Tools Like Argo CD or Flux

CI/CD and GitOps address different aspects of software delivery but work optimally together by separating their responsibilities: CI systems focus on validating and building code, while GitOps tools like Argo CD and Flux handle the deployment process by aligning the cluster state with configurations defined in Git. Integrating these technologies effectively involves CI building artifacts and updating manifests, and GitOps managing the deployment, enhancing reliability, auditability, and deployment safety. The integration process involves three key steps: building and pushing artifacts in CI, updating Kubernetes manifests in Git, and having GitOps tools apply changes by reconciling the cluster state. This separation of duties, where CI updates Git and GitOps manages the deployment, aligns with modern Kubernetes best practices by ensuring that cluster states always reflect the configurations in Git, and promoting environment transitions and rollbacks through Git commits. The approach provides a scalable framework for large organizations by maintaining clean security boundaries, simplifying access control, and eliminating the need for CI systems to have direct access to production clusters.